Practical Signal Reality#
Where theory meets the bench. Textbook signals are infinite, perfectly sampled, and noise-free. Real signals are finite, quantized, clocked by imperfect oscillators, and measured with instruments that have their own limitations. This section covers the gaps between ideal models and actual system behavior.
These topics cut across everything else in the section. Quantization effects limit converters and DSP. Jitter limits high-resolution systems. And measurement techniques determine whether it is even possible to tell the difference between a good design and a great one β or between a real problem and a measurement artifact.
What This Section Covers#
- Quantization Effects β Quantization noise, distortion at small signals, dithering, oversampling, and noise shaping.
- Clocking & Jitter β Aperture jitter, clock sources, distribution, and why clocking limits high-resolution converter performance.
- Measurement & Perception β THD, SINAD, ENOB, SFDR; how to measure them; and where human perception diverges from specs.